The present invention relates to the design and construction of a steering or fork stop that limits the turn angle of a bicycle fork to prevent the fork from hitting the bicycle frame upon turning of the front wheel.
Suspension systems have been provided on bicycles to improve handling of the vehicle by absorbing shocks caused by roughness, discontinuities such as rocks, potholes, tree roots and other obstacles, and/or other variations in the vehicle's path that disturb smooth riding. Thus, disturbances in the road are absorbed by the suspension system and are minimally transmitted to the rider, thereby preventing, or at least greatly reducing, transmission of the disturbances to other parts of the vehicle. The rider thus is afforded better control of the bicycle without interference by disturbances in the riding path.
Bicycle suspension systems have been provided and positioned to absorb shocks affecting, for example, the front wheel of a bicycle. Front wheel suspension systems typically are provided in a specially designed front wheel fork having telescoping stanchions or fork tubes within which a shock absorber of the suspension system is positioned. The fork is thus formed with two (right and left) upper tubular elements and two (right and left) lower tubular elements. One of the upper and lower pairs is an inner tubular element pair and the other of the upper and lower pairs is an outer tubular element pair such that each leg of the fork has an inner tubular element slidable within an outer tubular element.
Various available suspension systems permit adjustability of suspension performance by adjustment of the spring rates. However, in order to achieve sufficient suspension performance in certain situations, structural modifications sometimes are necessary in addition to adjustments of spring rates and damping characteristics. For example, dual crown suspension forks have been designed for situations in which very stiff suspension structures and high damping capabilities are required, such as is true for bicycles used in downhill racing. In such a dual crown suspension system, the fork tubes may extend as far as the top of the head tube of the bicycle in order to provide sufficient structure for shock absorption.
A known disadvantage with certain bicycle forks, particular dual crown suspension forks, is that when the handlebars are turned during steering, at extreme turning angles the fork tubes can hit the bicycle frame. Such contact impacts the frame, sending vibrations therethrough interfering with a controlled steering of the bicycle. Moreover, even when the bicycle is not in use, such impacts may damage the frame and/or the suspension fork, or, at least, their finish. This is particularly likely to occur if the frame or suspension fork is made of a light-weight material which may not be able to endure side impacts without detrimentally affecting its structural integrity.
Steering stops or fork stops have been provided on motorcycle forks in order to prevent the fork tubes of the front fork from hitting the motorcycle frame. However, typical steering stop designs are integrated into the fork crown and motorcycle frame. A steering stop assembly has been provided in a downhill bicycle fork design by FOES RACING.TM. in the form of a fork stop comprising a bolt threaded into the fork crown and a semicircular catch surface bolted onto the head tube of the bicycle frame. Because, among other things, the FOES RACING.TM. steering stop is integrated into the lower crown of the FOES.TM. fork, the FOES.TM. steering stop assembly cannot be applied to bicycles other than those using the FOES.TM. Fork.